Thomas Friedman Op-ed in the NYT that wants to shut down GITMO. He has a point that GITMO is a mar on the US. Especially when the US speaks about freedom. The problem still comes down to: Is it already too late to recover? I'm of the opinion that it is. With the perpetual press rekindling of the abuse allegations, it's nearly impossible to tell what is a new allegation and what is a retelling of a former allegation. Comparing GITMO to gulags has gotten far too much attention, especially since that analogy is fallacious.
If all of the prisoners could be processed quickly, by trial, and processed, would this alleviate the views of the evil America that exist today? Not likely. Anti-Americanism is rampant, and the loudest voices will not likely let off on reminding everyone of how horrible the US has been. The prisoners there aren't being held because of opposing political views. Their held because they are either illegal combatants captured while trying to kill our soldiers, or they're terrorist. Trials would be nice. But would such a trial have any meaning with the present atmosphere? I doubt it. They would be called kangaroo courts or worse. Even if they were given the perfect US trial with all the protections that a US citizen gets, they would still be viewed as flawed.
Then there is this bit from the article:
If all of the prisoners could be processed quickly, by trial, and processed, would this alleviate the views of the evil America that exist today? Not likely. Anti-Americanism is rampant, and the loudest voices will not likely let off on reminding everyone of how horrible the US has been. The prisoners there aren't being held because of opposing political views. Their held because they are either illegal combatants captured while trying to kill our soldiers, or they're terrorist. Trials would be nice. But would such a trial have any meaning with the present atmosphere? I doubt it. They would be called kangaroo courts or worse. Even if they were given the perfect US trial with all the protections that a US citizen gets, they would still be viewed as flawed.
Then there is this bit from the article:
Guantanamo Bay is becoming the anti-Statue of Liberty. If we have a case to be made against any of the 500 or so inmates still in Guantanamo, then it is high time we put them on trial, convict as many possible (which will not be easy because of bungled interrogations) and then simply let the rest go home or to a third country. Sure, a few may come back to haunt us. But at least they won't be able to take advantage of Guantánamo as an engine of recruitment to enlist thousands more. I would rather have a few more bad guys roaming the world than a whole new generation. [emphasis mine]How many military deaths can Friedman justify for a PR stunt that would be ineffectual?
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